


Accident

by ChopinWorshipper



Category: Jekyll & Hyde - Wildhorn, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson
Genre: F/F, F/M, Love/Hate, M/M, Multi, Queerplatonic Relationships, Unplanned Pregnancy, Unresolved Emotional Tension, especially not the future parents, eventual queerplatonic lucy/hyde, eventual queerplatonic lucy/jekyll, hyde knocks lucy up, lucy finds about about hyde's secret, no one is happy about it, the others have none of that 'running from the consequences'-crap
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-01-31 10:28:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 14,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21444742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChopinWorshipper/pseuds/ChopinWorshipper
Summary: Hyde is faced with the fact that sleeping with a woman repeatedly can have *gasp* long-term consequences!
Relationships: Dr. Hastie Lanyon/Original female character, Dr. Henry Jekyll/Gabriel John Utterson, Edward Hyde/Dr. Henry Jekyll, Edward Hyde/Gabriel John Utterson, Lucy Harris/Dr. Henry Jekyll (kinda), Lucy Harris/Edward Hyde (kinda), Lucy Harris/Original Female Character
Comments: 2
Kudos: 53





	1. Wait, what?!

“I didn't know you're a doctor, Mr. Hyde”, Lucy remarked, when he let her in.

He looked at her. “Well, I'm _Mister_ Hyde, not _Doctor_ Hyde. I don't really have a doctorate, but I do have a doctor's knowledge. That's just as good, in my opinion.”

“Well, it's good enough for me anyway, since I can't afford a real doctor”, Lucy noted.

Hyde laughed and went to the other room to get his medicinal equipment.

She looked around.

Mr. Hyde's flat was surprisingly homely and tidy. The furniture was tasteful, a fire was burning in the fireplace and the room was cleaner than her own old room at the club had been. Lucy knew that Hyde was financially fluid (he had always paid her handsome, after all), but she would have expected this place to be far messier.

A chuckle made her turn to the door frame.

Hyde was leaning in the door frame, grinning at her. “Do you like my humble abode?”

She blushed a little, without knowing why. After all, there was nothing wrong with looking about.

“It's certainly nice.”

He looked at her expectantly. “Why are you still standing there like a statue? Take a seat! On the couch, not the chair”, he added, when she wanted to sit down on a wooden chair.

She obeyed gratefully and sat.

Hyde took a chair of his own, grabbed a note book and a pencil and sat in front of her. “So, what's the matter?”

Lucy remembered why she had come here and straightened. “I haven't been feeling well lately.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Can you be more specific?”

She began to explain: “When I wake up in the morning, I feel nauseous. It's hard to keep anything down. At the same time I have weird cravings, even for things I wouldn't eat otherwise. And sometimes I feel very hot, like I'm burning up. And I'm having mood swings.”

“How long has this been going on?”, he asked.

“For two months.”

“I see. A few more questions, do you feel a burn or itch in your crotch?”

Lucy knew what that was about, but shook her head.

He made a few notes, then stood up.

“Well, I will have to give you a physical examination, so if you would free your back?”

She was not comfortable with that request – considering this was Edward Hyde – but obeyed.

_He better keep it professional!_

Sure, he had promised to never hurt her again, after _the incident_, but she didn't trust him one bit.

He took a stethoscope from his bag and told her to turn around.

Lucy almost jumped, when she felt something cold on her back.

“Now, take deep breaths”, he instructed her.

So she did. After about a dozen inhales and exhales, he told her to stop and face him.

For a second she caught the hungry gaze in his eyes that she knew so well, when she bared her bosom. But he recovered his professionalism instantly and went on to finish his examination, making notes all the while.

When he was done, he spoke: “Alright, I'm going to evaluate everything, why don't you lie down in the meantime?”

Lucy blinked at that nicety, but took the offer.

He went to the other room.

She continued looking around.

There were no flowers, such a shame. But lots of full bookshelves and pictures. Mostly pencil sketches and watercolour paintings. They looked pretty. Lucy couldn't help but wonder, who had painted them.

Hyde came back and his face looked so sombre, that she feared the worst.

_Oh my god, please let it not be the French Pox, please, please, please-_

“Alright, Lucy”, he began, “Before I tell you, one final question – have you slept with any other men than me in the past months?”

She didn't have to think for long. “Mr. Hyde, you've been my only client for half a year – no thanks to your jealousy”, she added pointedly.

At least he had always tipped handsomely.

He looked her deep in the eyes (probably to make sure she wasn't lying), before his expression became unreadable. “I can't decide, if I should be pleased or terrified.”

“What?!”

How was that terrifying? She was confused.

He took a deep breath, before cutting to the chase.

“Alright, I have some good and some bad news for you.”

She braced herself.

“The good news is that you're not ill. I know myself to be healthy and if one of your other clients had infected you with a venereal disease, it would definitely be obvious by now.”

_Oh thank god! Wait-_

“And the bad news?”, she asked carefully.

“You're pregnant.”

Lucy gaped at him.

Then she fainted.


	2. Those news are mildly inconvenient

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Don't panic!"  
"Yes panic!"

Hyde stared at the unconscious woman for about five seconds, before running back into the kitchen.

_Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! This can't be real! This can't be real! I must be wrong, please let it be wrong, oh no, oh no, oh no-_

“_Hyde, calm down”_, his other self's voice sounded in his head. _“Don't panic!”_

“Yes, panic!”, he exclaimed, “This is a nightmare! I don't want a family, I don't want a screaming, shitting brat on my neck, I'm not ready to be a father, I fucking hate children, Jekyll!”

“_Well, that doesn't matter, because she's carrying your child now. I don't know why you're so shocked. This is what usually happens, when you sleep with a woman so many times!”_, Jekyll retorted snappishly.

“_Now calm down already! We have to take an according course of action …”_

“I have to get out of this! Maybe I can convince her to abort the brat-”

“_Hyde, no.”_

“Hyde, yes! Or we're lucky and she loses it and becomes sterile, so it will never happen aga-”

“_EDWARD!!! IT'S MY CHILD TOO!!!”_

“Shut up! I'm not ready for a kid and you're too old to have one! Face it, Jekyll, even if the brat survives, you'll be seventy by the time it grows up!”

“_That doesn't warrant infanticide!”_

“Shut up, I said!”, he snapped.

Then he took a deep breath.

Okay. He had to think.

What to do now?

Lady Summers was a bit surprised that Mr. Hyde was calling her so early in the day.

But before she could ask him, what the matter was, he was screaming into the speaker in obvious panic.

He was babbling so fast, that she had to ask him to settle down.

But finally she was able to gather, that he had knocked up Miss Lucy Harris (whom she knew to be her half-sister's girlfriend) and was now overwhelmed and in panic.

She shook her head in annoyance – men these days! But she told him to hold on, she would be over in half an hour.

“Sameer, tell Sean to ready my coach.”

“Mr. Hyde caused trouble again?”

“You've guessed it”, she sighed. “By Apollo, I feel like I'm his mother!”

The next to receive a panicked phone call were Utterson and Lanyon.

The latter was currently with Utterson, having lunch with him, when they had the dubious honour of listening to Edward Hyde flipping his wit on the phone.

When they heard the news, Lanyon's face flushed with anger. “Goddammit, these two still don't understand the concept of being faithful!”

Utterson sighed. “Calm down, Hastie. When I became their lover, I knew that I had to expect something like that. I'm the last person to expect either of them to be faithful.”

“I know that, but still!”

“Let's go. Hopefully he doesn't do anything to the unfortunate lady while we're on the way.”

Lanyon snorted. “No, let's rather hope that he won't be a hysteric mess, when we show up.”

“We both know that's a vain hope.”


	3. So many questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy meets Hyde's friends. She's overwhelmed. Her girlfriend is pissed off beyond mortal comprehension.

When Lucy woke up, she found herself still lying on Hyde's couch.

The brunette was sitting next to her. He was writing something and his face was completely blank.

“Ah, welcome back”, he greeted her, when he noticed that she was awake.

Then he helped her sit up.

She blinked in disorientation.

Then she remembered, why she had fainted in the first place.

“Is this real?”, she asked softly.

“Unfortunately.”

Lucy almost passed out again.

A flood of emotions overwhelmed her. Shock. Fear. Anger. Despair. Hatred for the man, who had done this to her. And most of all: panic.

There was no doubt about who the father was.

In the last four months, she had slept with no other man than Hyde, who had last taken her two months ago.

Lucy knew enough about pregnancy to put together that she couldn't be further on than three months and no less than two.

She was pregnant, from _him_! From Edward Hyde, who, despite having promised not to hurt her ever again (and he was a man of his word), was still a terrible man!

Suddenly she felt a lump in her throat. But instead of bursting into tears, she began to gasp for breath.

Hyde jumped up and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Lucy! Calm down! You're hyperventilating!”

It didn't help.

“Calm down?!”, she snapped, “You knocked me up! _You_! It can't be any other than you!”

“Do you think I don't know that?”, he hissed, “Do you think _I'm_ happy about this?! Lucy, the last thing I want is to be responsible for a screaming brat!”

“Then how can you be so calm about it!”

“I'm not!”, he admitted bluntly. “Your fainting fit just gave me time to regain my composure!”

That made Lucy think. “How long was I out?”

“A bit less than half an hour. I made some phone calls while you were unconscious. The people should be here any moment.”

He shuddered. “I hope your girlfriend won't be the first one to arrive.”

_Oh right. He knows._

And he was right. Alma was just as insane as he was. She would be absolutely furious, when she found out. Hopefully Hyde was a fast runner, because once the redhead got her hands on him, he _would_ be a few body parts lighter!

Although … maybe, if the black-haired woman managed to calm her down, she would be able to convince Hyde to-

_Oh wait. He doesn't want it either – waaaaiiitaminute!_

Suddenly she noticed something in his acid green eyes and counted two and two together.

What he said next didn't surprise her at all.

“Soooo, before they're all here; you know, Lucy, since neither of us wants the brat, there's always abortion-”

That still didn't stop her from slapping him.

Later, three people arrived and found an angry black-haired woman glowering at a small brunette man, who was holding a steak to his cheek.

One of them, a hoary man with mismatched eyes turned to Hyde: “What happened to you?!”

“She slapped me”, Hyde muttered sourly.

The man doubled over with laughter. “Hah! That serves you right, Mr. Hyde! Oh Heavens, this is priceless!”

Hyde glared at him in response, while the other two turned to Lucy.

A blonde widow, who couldn't be taller than Hyde, spoke first. “Good morning, Miss Harris. I'm Lady Summers, Countess of Cornwall. I'm very pleased to finally meet you in person. My little half-sister Alma and Mr. Hyde have told me quite a lot about you.”

_Alma's older sister is a countess?! And how is that Lady older than her? She can't be older than-_

The blonde chuckled: “Oh, don't let my appearance fool you, Miss Harris. I'm far older than I look. And young Mr. Hyde happens to be a friend of mine.”

Now her other companion, a black-haired, older man stepped forward. “And I'm Mr. Utterson. I'm Mr. Hyde's lawyer and friend”, he introduced himself. “And this cheerful gent over here is Dr. Lanyon.”

“Charmed!”, the first man snickered.

“Stop laughing!”, Hyde snapped, “This isn't funny!”

Mr. Utterson sighed and shook his head. “You're right, it really isn't. Mr. Hyde told us what the matter is, Miss Harris. We're here to discuss with you two the further course of action.”

She nodded in acknowledgement.

Lady Summers threw in: “Indeed. There are so many things that must be arranged. But first-” she sighed, “-we have to stop my sister from killing him.”

“DAMN RIGHT, YOU DO!!!”

The aforementioned red-head was standing in the door. She was holding a large butcher knife and looked like bloodlust incarnate.

Hyde blanched. “Oh shit!”

“You better run, Mr. Hyde”, Lady Summers recommended.

He didn't need to be told twice.

With a leap out of the window, he escaped Alma's wrath.

Until she began pursuing him, that is.

“COME BACK HERE!!!”

Lucy sweatdropped.

_I really do hope he's a fast runner._

“He asked me to abort it”, Lucy told them, when the two lunatics had returned, both miraculously unharmed. “That's why I slapped him.”

The five visitors glared at him.

“That's illegal”, Mr. Utterson stated.

“I don't care”, Hyde grumbled.

“It's irresponsible!”, Lanyon spat.

“I don't care!”, Hyde snarled, gritting his teeth.

“It's infanticide”, Lady Summers pointed out.

“I DON'T FUCKING CARE!!!”, Hyde roared.

“BUT WE DO!!!”, Alma yelled back, “YOU KNOCKED MY GIRLFRIEND UP, NOW FACE THE FUCKING CONSEQUENCES!!!”

“Stop screaming, everyone!”, Lady Summers spoke up.

The room immediately fell silent.

She continued: “Besides, lying isn't like you, Mr. Hyde. You may not want the baby, but you don't want Miss Harris to abort it either. Deep down you want her to keep it.”

“Shut up”, Hyde hissed venomously, but his chalk white cheeks became rosy, ruining the effect.

Lucy was looking at them in wonder.

_He was just being all talk? And how can she tell that so surely?_

“I know everything that goes on inside people's head, Miss Harris”, Lady Summers told her. “Mr. Utterson, if you may.”

He stood in front of Hyde, frowning down at him.

“Edward”, he said slowly, “No one here is supporting the thought of an abortion, not even the unwilling mother. You should have thought of something like that, before you slept with her. Miss Harris is in the right before the law. And just a kind reminder, someone else has a saying in this as well.”

Lucy stopped short.

_'Someone else'? And why are they on first name basis?_

Damn, she had so many questions now! And she was getting suspicious. What the hell was going on between Hyde and these people?!

The small brunette glared at the lawyer. “Like hell I will-!”

To Lucy's surprise, the older man covered his mouth.

“A word with you, Mr. Hyde”, he requested. Then he dragged him to the other room, closing the door behind them.

The black-haired woman turned to the others. “What are they talking about?”

It was the hoary man – Dr. Lanyon – who answered: “You'll find out sooner or later, Miss Harris.”

“What do you have to do with Mr. Hyde anyway?”

Lanyon shrugged. “I'm a good friend of Dr. Jekyll's. Which means by extension, that I have to deal with this gremlin here as well.”

She giggled at the nickname.

Never mind how Hyde knew Dr. Jekyll.

She'd just ask the man himself later.


	4. Don't know what to do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't piss off the Utterson.

Hyde yelped in surprise, when Utterson grabbed him and threw him against a next best wall.

The older man looked so livid that it positively scared the younger.

“Enough of this nonsense, Edward!”, he snarled. “You and by extension Henry cheated on me with an ex-prostitute and knocked her up! And now you're trying to run away from your responsibility! I may not be a jealous man, but even my patience has limits! Do you think I like the thought of the men I love having a child with someone else, while I have always been faithful to you two?! That it doesn't hurt me?! I don't know Miss Harris well, but I do know that she doesn't deserve having to raise a child on her own, just because of your nonsense! This is your fault, so take responsibility for your actions and face the bleeding consequences! I don't know why this surprises you so much anyway! You should have thought of this, _before_ you slept with her! Normally you would be obliged to marry her and if it weren't for you two sharing one body and me being in love with both of you, I _would_ make you! That would be fun, Miss Harris finding out about your condition and having to choose whether she wants to be Mrs. Hyde or Mrs. Jekyll! And speaking of which – has it occurred to either of you, that the baby might have the same condition?! That it could transform back and forth, just like you?! Have fun explaining _that_ to its mother!”

Hyde froze – he hadn't thought of that! Oh crap, if that was the case-

“_Holy shit, he's right!”_, Jekyll gasped in Hyde's head.

Utterson took a deep breath. “Let's make this clear: I'm generally mild-mannered, but you're forgetting that I'm part Italian. I don't get angry easily, but when I do, I can put someone through a world of hurt! And that's exactly what I will do, if you keep behaving like that! I don't want to hurt you, I love you, but this is too much! I'm pretty sure Henry agrees with me!”

“_Certainly do”_, Jekyll agreed.

Hyde lowered his head.

There was no convincing the others, he knew that.

But …

“I don't know what to do”, he whispered.

“I didn't ask for this! I don't want a child and Jekyll is too old to have one. I'm younger than Lucy, but _he_ could be her father! Even if the brat isn't stillborn or dies during childhood, he'll be seventy, when it grows up! I have no problem with paying child support, but that's about it! I can't love the brat, its mother even less!”

He choked back a sob. “We're not even friends! She hates me and I can't commit myself to her at all! The closest I ever came to doing that was with someone else! It's you, Gabriel … you and Henry! It's you and only you, please believe me!”

He broke down and bawled into the lawyer's chest.

Utterson sighed and embraced him.

Hyde felt Jekyll's shadowy arms do the same. _“Edward, please don't cry”_, the Doctor pleaded quietly. _“It'll turn out alright. We'll figure something out. Just don't cry.”_

Meanwhile the lawyer was stroking his hair.

“I feel the same. Heaven and Hell know, there is nothing I want more than to be able to let the world know, how much I adore you two! But I can't just let you mess around and then try to avoid the consequences. You're not a child, Edward. It's time to grow up. You and Miss Harris may not like each other, but she still needs your support. Miss Donovan can help her raise the child, but she can't represent her before the law. You know how unfair the system is towards women. You're the father of her baby and that makes you her legal guardian. You know that, your creator has two law doctorates.”

“_I always forget that”_, Jekyll stated sheepishly.

“And he still is your client, Gabe”, Hyde pointed out drily.

Utterson smirked: “Of course he is. We both know that he's a sad, middle-aged, queer man.”

“_Oi! What's that supposed to mean?!”_

Hyde snickered: “Gabriel, you know that Jekyll can hear you, right?”

“That makes it just the sweeter.”

Utterson stroked his hair one more time, then he let go.

He was smiling comfortingly.

“Now don't be afraid. I'll always be there along the way and the others will too. And we'll figure something out, you, Miss Harris and all of us together. And somehow we will persuade Miss Donovan not to castrate you.”

Hyde laughed hoarsely.

“That would be appreciated.”


	5. The beginning of some very long months

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy has the first domestic of her life - with a man she doesn't even like.

“Look, I'm not happy with this either”, Lucy sighed, once she was alone with him and the others had gone.

She was still upset, but a little more at ease, now that so many well-situated people were on her side in this matter. It was a small comfort, but it was something.

Hyde just grunted in reply and continued writing something onto a paper.

The black-haired woman couldn't help but envy him. She had spent many months learning how to read, but it still was hard for her. And she couldn't write at all.

For a second she wanted to ask Hyde what he was writing. But he was extremely agitated and she knew better than to ask questions, when he was like that.

“Shall I make some tea?”, she offered softly.

“I'm not letting you near the kitchen boiler”, Hyde answered, without even looking up. It sounded more like a warning than a prohibition.

“Okay”, she whispered nervously.

They fell back into uncomfortable silence.

After a while Hyde put down his pen, but still kept his eyes on the paper.

“Alright, Lucy. Since things are as they are, we have to take precautions. And that starts with your diet.”

_My diet?_

“That's right. For the next months, I will be controlling your diet. You will keep getting insane cravings, but you cannot eat whatever you want.”

“What?!”

“You heard me. Lucy, at least half of the food in London is adulterated. You can never be sure what's in there and I will _not_ have you die or lose the brat because of food poisoning.”

“… Okay.”

“You also won't be going shopping without me or Alma accompanying you.”

“WHAT?!”

She almost slapped him again, but then he added: “You're not married and there will be at least one man harassing you, thinking you're still a whore. I can't allow that to happen.”

Lucy inhaled sharply.

She still wanted to slap him.

Here he was again, treating her like she was his property!

“Mister Hyde”, she said slowly, “You put me through a lot of crap.”

“I know that”, he returned indifferently.

“You're a real bastard.”

“I know that too.”

“And I demand you to pay child support!”

That made him finally look up. For a second he looked surprised, but then he returned to his usual cold self.

“Sure”, he said blankly. “I'll also give you medical care, until I can persuade Dr. Jekyll to treat you for free. No problem.”

She gaped at him. That was unexpected.

“Everything else is a problem though”, Hyde continued. “You and I don't like each other and _I_ absolutely don't like children.”

“Obviously”, she retorted icily. “You're the last man I'd expect to be a good father.”

The brunette man gaped at her. If she hadn't known better, she would've thought that she had actually hurt him. That was impossible though, he was too cold-hearted.

Finally he regained his composure and his expression became as cold as ever.

“You're right. But if you want a father, you can turn to Dr. Jekyll. He will gladly jump in, he _loves_ charity!”, he said scornfully.

“How do you know him anyway?”

His eyes narrowed. “That's none of your business, Lucy Harris!”

She knew better than to pry further.

_God, those will be long, agonising months!_


	6. Seeing Dr. Jekyll again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy goes to her first medical check with Dr. Jekyll and recalls her old affections.

“Ah, Miss Harris! Good to see you again”, Dr. Jekyll greeted her kindly.

“Y-yes. Good morning, Dr. Jekyll”, she said shyly.

She had met him only once and it had been quite a while ago. Apart from that, she had only seen his face on a picture that Mr. Hyde owned for some reason.

But he looked just like she remembered. Tall and well-built, with wheat-blond, gently curled hair, trimmed sideburns and a smooth face. And the warm, kind smile and the gentle brown eyes she had once been in love with.

She loved someone else now: A mad, tomboyish redhead, who was promiscuous and quite violent towards men, but treated her like a queen and made her feel loved and safe.

But Lucy had never forgot just how enamoured she had been with this friendly and handsome man.

_He was the first person, who didn't treat me like a whore._

That memory made her heart warm.

“Mr. Hyde told me to come to you”, she told him.

The doctor nodded solemnly. “I know. He told me what the problem is.” He shook his head. “I'm awfully sorry, Miss Harris. There is no excuse for his behaviour. If there is anything that I can do for you – beside medical care, of course – just tell me so, I will happily oblige.”

She couldn't help but smile. “Thank you, Dr. Jekyll. I will keep that in mind. But, if you don't mind me asking, how do you and Mr. Hyde know each other?”

He halted in his movements. Seemed like she had hit a nerve.

“You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to”, she added hastily, “Just forget I ever asked-”

“He's my ward.”

It didn't sound like it was the truth.

“Really?”, she asked doubtfully.

For a second Lucy considered, if Hyde maybe was an illegitimate son of the doctor's. But that was impossible. They looked nothing alike.

_Maybe he's his lover?_

Dr. Jekyll turned to her, with a stethoscope in his hand. “You don't believe me, do you?”

“No”, she admitted.

He sighed: “Listen, the matter is extremely complicated and you wouldn't believe me if I told you.”

_So it's true._

She nodded. “It's okay. I won't bring it up again.”

He smiled sweetly and gratefully. “Thank you, Miss. Now let's proceed with the medical check. You will get a lot of those in the following six months. Just to make sure that you and the baby are fine.”

“Thank you, Doctor”, Lucy mumbled.

The check was quick.

She answered all the mandatory questions he asked and told her of all the symptoms she was suffering from. Her belly had no visibly bump yet, but she was beginning to feel something.

Once they were done and she was ready to leave, he spoke up: “One last question, Miss Harris, if you don't mind.”

“I don't mind.”

“Are you afraid of what might happen in the near future?”

He seemed genuinely concerned.

Lucy swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded.

He took her hand and told her: “Miss Harris, if you ever need a friend, my door is always open to you.”

She smiled. “Thank you, Dr. Jekyll.”

Jekyll went to the window and looked after her, as she went down the street.

Nothing about the way she walked gave away that she once had been a working girl.

Miss Donovan really had dolled her up.

She looked like any young woman who wasn't married yet.

Only far more beautiful …

“_Jekyll!”_

He groaned, when Hyde appeared in the mirror.

“_You're not falling for her, are you? You already love me and Gabriel. What would he say, if he knew-”_

“What is there to know, Hyde? It's a fact that she's a beautiful woman.”

Hyde giggled: _“True. She never even needed make-up to look fuckable!”_

“Don't put it like that, you little demon.”

“_Oh, but you agree, don't you? You may be into Gabriel and me, but you can't deny, that you would love to worship that gorgeous body of hers!”_

Jekyll thought of Miss Donovan and chuckled: “I'd rather keep my hands and vital regions, thank you.”

Hyde caught on and laughed sheepishly: _“Oh yeah. Forgot about Alma.”_

“I reckon you did. Come here.”

Hyde obliged and joined him at the window in his corporeal form.

He just came in time to see Miss Harris leave around the next corner and disappear from sight.

The older blond sighed sadly: “She deserves better.”

“_Yeah”_, Hyde agreed, _“But at least she's happy with Alma. Even though that ginger is just as crazy as I.”_

“As _us_”, Jekyll corrected him with a smile. “But it was good of you. To bring them together.”

“_One of the few good deeds in my life.”_

Hyde looked outside pensively. _“Which of us is going to tell her?”_

The blond lowered his head. “I don't know. And to be honest, Edward … I'm scared of how she will react.”


	7. The beginning of the craving horror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy has … pregnancy cravings.

Alma woke up to Lucy lying on top of her, gazing at her with big black eyes.

The redhead giggled sleepily. “Good morning, angel.”

Lucy blushed a little. “Good morning, fire head.”

The younger woman laughed. Only Lucy got away with calling her anything like this; the black-haired woman loved her flame red curls.

“Did you sleep well?”, she asked.

Lucy sighed. “Not really, but looking at you makes me feel a lot better.”

Alma squealed on the inside – she was so cute!

She gave her lover a tender hug, but carefully; she was pregnant after all.

“I would love to gaze into your lustrous black eyes all day long”, she finally chuckled, “But there is a lot to do today, so I have to get up.”

Lucy pouted adorably and moved off her with deliberate slowness.

The rest of the morning was spent cuddling and trying to wash and dress themselves at the same time.

But finally Alma was ready to go out.

“It's my turn to do the groceries today. What do you want me to get you, Lucy?”

Lucy thought for a moment. Then she said: “Well, I want pickles, chocolate, lots of baked goods and white bread – oh, and don't forget to buy lots of fish!”

_Pickles? Fish?_

Alma blinked. Lucy hated those things!

But the redhead didn't show her confusion and just grinned. “Sure thing, angel! Right away!”

She left the house and left her girlfriend with their flatmate Marianne.

Those were healthy requests, so there was no reason to object.

But Lucy was having a lot of strange cravings lately and Alma made note to ask Dr. Jekyll later.

She would have done it right away, but it wasn't exactly a minute's walk from Whitechapel to where he lived and Lucy's patience was … well … dwindling while her pregnancy progressed.

_I'll just give him a phone call later._


	8. Bad news - very bad news indeed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy and Hyde learn something they never wanted to hear.

Lucy was miserable, completely and utterly.

She'd been before, but now she was miserable extraordinaire.

And the day had been so fine prior.

But then some terrible news had ruined it.

Lucy couldn't believe that she was here.

Never in her life could she have imagined, that she would come to an address as illustrious as no.10 Cavendish Square because a noblewoman had invited her for tea!

_Her_! A former working girl!

The black-haired woman hesitated a little, before ringing the bell.

She shouldn't be here.

Even though she was wearing her best, she was completely underdressed for this part of the city.

But she had been invited and it was rude to just … not show up.

So she gathered all her courage and rang.

The door was opened by a tall and well-dressed Indian butler with a turban, a trimmed moustache and friendly black eyes.

“Miss Harris?”, he inquired.

She nodded. “Yes, I've been-”

“Yes, I know”, the butler replied. “Come in. Her Ladyship is expecting you.”

He let her come in, helped her out of her coat and shoes and lead her to what apparently was the tea room.

Which was located in a greenhouse for some reason.

When they had reached the door, he told her to knock on the door frame to announce herself, then he went back to attend to his own duties.

She knocked on the frame, but didn't receive an answer.

So she just entered.

What she saw was so ridiculous, that she almost laughed.

Aside from the Lady, there were Mr. Utterson, Dr. Lanyon and, last but not least, Hyde, all standing on chairs and couches, staring at something on the floor. All of them shaking like leaves and obviously scared out of their wits. And on top of that, the Lady was aiming a military rifle at whatever they were staring at.

Mr. Utterson was the first to notice her. “Ah, Miss Harris. G-good to see you!”

“What's going on?”, Lucy demanded to know.

“Don't move a muscle, Miss Harris!”, Lady Summers growled.

Lucy followed their eyes to a spot about two feet away from her and giggled.

“This theatre because of a cockroach?!”

“Stop giggling!”, Hyde snapped.

Lady Summers was still trying to aim at the bug. “You disgusting thing, won't you hold still for five second?!”

“No, don't shoot!”, Mr. Utterson cried suddenly, “If it's a female, its eggs will go all over the place!”

“Its eggs???”, Hyde shrieked hysterically and clung to him like a lifeline.

“Does nothing kill these things?!”, Dr. Lanyon groaned in despair.

Lucy snorted, picked the insect up (everyone gasped in surprise) and brought it outside.

“Something the matter?”, the butler inquired. “I heard Mr. Hyde scream.”

She shrugged. “Just some drama, because of this little critter here. They all flipped their wits.”

He looked at the cockroach and chortled: “Yes, they would. Give it to me, I'll take care of this.”

Gratefully she handed the insect over and returned to the group.

“Oh thank you so much, Miss”, Mr. Utterson sighed in relief. “You're a real heroine.”

Lucy felt herself blush. “It's nothing. It was just a bug.”

“You call those bugs?”, Dr. Lanyon hissed, “Little plagues is what they are. Just like locusts or rats.”

“Why did you have to mention rats?”, Lady Summers groaned.

Lucy just rolled her eyes.

The fuss rich people made about little things like this!

The Countess of Cornwall coughed. “I'm sorry, I'm being a bad hostess. Do sit down and help yourself. Take as many muffins as you want. And there is a pot and cup of tea ready just for you. I know you will like it, it's Ceylon.”

The young woman smiled gratefully and sat.

Some small talk, tea and lots of muffins later, Mr. Utterson cleared his throat. “Now that we all have had our tea, I think it's time for me to announce the cause for this meeting.”

Lucy frowned.

If it had been the lawyer's request to meet them all, it couldn't be good.

And indeed-

“Miss Harris. Mr. Hyde. I'm afraid, I have bad news for you – very bad news. I have been looking through the juristic articles for weeks now and I fear that there is no way past it.”

“Past what?”, Hyde asked suspiciously.

Lucy could tell that the young man was – just like her – preparing for the worst.

“You two need to become husband and wife.”

Five minutes.

Lucy could tell by the clock above the door that this was how long this sentence and its whole meaning needed to sink in.

But once it did, it hit her harder than a stone.

When she looked at Hyde, he obviously wasn't faring any better. He had always been deathly pale, but now his face was whiter than chalk.

“What”, he rasped. “Her … and I … _married_?! Like … like …”

Then he fainted.

Lucy felt like she was going to faint too.

But instead she felt a familiar sting behind her eyes.

Lady Summers bent forwards. “Miss Harris, if you want to go home …”

The younger woman nodded gratefully, said goodbye and took the next cab back to Whitechapel.

Right on arrival, she ran into the bedroom and flung herself onto the bed.

Then she buried her face in the pillow and screamed and cried relentlessly.

This couldn't be real.

It just couldn't!

As if carrying his child wasn't bad enough!

Husband and wife …

_Husband and wife!_

She, marry _him_!

Bound by law and name to a man she still didn't even like!

_Mrs. Edward Hyde!_

The very thought was enough to make her scream.

After what seemed like an eternity of crying, she felt a gentle hand on her back.

Looking up tearfully, she recognised Alma's fire red shock of hair through the blur.

“Wha' 'appened?”, the ginger asked worriedly.

“They say … they say I must _marry_ him!”, Lucy wailed.

Without another word Alma hugged her tightly.

In the redhead's arms, the older woman slowly relaxed.

It was already evening, when Lucy was finally calm enough to let go.

“Lucy, can we talk?”, Alma asked carefully.

The black-haired woman sniffed and nodded.

“I know that this whole thing is a giant pile of shit-”

“Don't swear in front of my baby. Perhaps it can hear you.”

“Sorry. But … there are a few silver linings. Edward was a bas- a terrible bloke to you in the past, but he won't be an abusive husband and father.”

Lucy couldn't help but notice that Alma had dropped her Cockney accent (which she only did in serious situations or when her sister was around).

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. He promised that he'll never hurt you again, eh? And he does care about you and the baby even though he sucks at showing it. And even if he didn't, should he ever treat you badly, I _will_ dismember him and he knows it.”

“I know you will.”

“And yeah, you never will love each other, but that's okay and do you know why?”

Lucy tilted her head. “Why?”

The redhead broke into that goofy big grin she loved so much. “Because I love you! It doesn't matter that the ring on your finger won't be mine.”

She stroked Lucy's black hair. “Don't worry about a thing. There'll be some issues in the next months, but apart from that, you and Edward will both be fine. And I will be there for you through it all and he has his friends to be there for him too. It'll be alright.”

Lucy had the feeling that Alma was sugarcoating what would go down in the next months.

But she took it for now.


	9. It's not like I care

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jekyll wins a bet, Hyde learns some surprising things and Lucy has mood swings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: absolutely horrid transcription of a Cockney accent.

Hyde didn't care.

He did not care!

Why would he care about a screaming, shitting brat, just because it was his!

He didn't care about its mother either, of course he didn't!

Hyde didn't care!

So why would he start now?

“_How much longer do you want to tell yourself that you don't care?”_, Jekyll snapped in annoyance. _“And you call me delusional!”_

“Shut up! We don't even like each other!”

“_You and Miss Harris? Well, I don't know about her, but I do know about you.”_

“What are you getting at?”

“_Hyde, you _like_ exactly four women in this whole world. One of them is our therapist, two are her youngest half-sisters and guess, who the fourth is.”_

“Shut up”, Hyde snarled again, “Why would I care for someone, who hates me?”

“_I don't think she hates you”_, Jekyll responded. _“At least not anymore.”_

“Really now. And what gives you that idea?”

“_Well, she's no longer a working girl, but she's still nice to you and talks to you. Technically she doesn't have to do that. She could let Alma do all the interaction, since she gets along with you better and generally is more capable of holding her own. But she doesn't. She doesn't like you, obviously, but she doesn't hate you either.”_

Hyde glared at the blond in the mirror.”Whatever you say, Prof. Dr. Jekyll. You know what, I'll just ask her personally next time I go to check on her.”

“_That's a good idea, Mr. Hyde. And you will see that I'm right.”_

“You always think that you're right.”

“_Oh, but in this case it's definitely true. You know it just as well as I do, you're just taking the easy way of avoiding any emotional attachment or even the slightest signs of-”_

“SHUT UP!!!”

“_Alright, alright! I'm sorry, if I hit a nerve!”_

“The ice is thin, Jekyll!”

“_It always is with you.”_

“You know what? Let's make a bet! I bet she hates me!”

“_I'll take that bet.”_

“And if I win and she says she hates me, you'll let me be in control for a whole week!”

“_Not a chance.”_

“Fine. Then I'll get 50£ from you!”

“_Agreed. And if I win and she says she doesn't, you will to Gabriel about the juristic consequences of you knocking up Miss Harris. Also you will visit and check on her regularly.”_

“That's unfair!”

“_Not towards her.”_

Hyde grumbled some more, but finally agreed.

Those 50£ were his.

Alma wasn't surprised, when her green-eyed friend showed up at her house in Whitechapel the next day, completely dishevelled and drenched from an apocalyptically bad thunderstorm.

“Morning, Edward”, she greeted him.

“Morning, Alma”, he answered, “I … uhh-”

“You're 'ere to check on Lucy”, she finished for him. “Come inside already. The weather sucks arse today.”

He was obviously too happy to take that offer.

She took his wet coat, hat and umbrella (which was broken, because of the wind) and put them away.

“She's in the kitchen”, she said, “There's a cup o' black coffee an' a warm blanket an' chair by the fireplace.”

“Thanks”, he muttered and hurried to the promised warm spot.

When Lucy saw him enter, she set down her tea. “Good morning, Mr. Hyde”, she said.

He waved in reply and quickly wrapped himself in the warm blanket.

“How are you?”, he asked as casually as possible. Not that it sounded like he cared.

Lucy looked at him strangely. “I'm fine … considering the circumstances. But are _you_ alright? You've never inquired after my well-being before.”

He shrugged. “Well, first time for everything. A lot has changed in the last year, so why not keep it going?”

She still looked perplexed, but didn't comment on it.

Hyde could already see the awkward silence hover over them and attempted to lighten the mood with a compliment. “Uhh … you look really pretty today.”

In the next moment he wanted to slap himself.

She stared at him.

“Pretty?”, she repeated flatly.

There was something in her voice and eyes that told him that he had just made a fatal mistake.

Alma winced in the background, confirming his hunch.

And sure enough-

“PRETTY??? YOU DEMON, ARE YOU CRAZY, I'M BLOODY BEAUTIFUL, HOW _DARE_ YOU CALL ME JUST PRETTY?!”

Lucy grabbed a knife and Hyde fled on top of a bookshelf.

“STOP LAUGHING AND CONTROL YOUR GIRLFRIEND!”, he shrieked at Alma, who was doubling over, cackling.

It took half an hour, until it was safe for Hyde to come down from the shelf.

“I'm so sorry”, Lucy apologised awkwardly, “I don't know what came over me.”

“Never mind”, Hyde muttered and sipped his coffee, which was cold by now. “Should've seen it coming. Damn pregnancy mood swings …”

He sighed and curled further into the warm blanket.

After a while he noticed, that she was looking at him strangely.

“What?”

“Do you hate me?”, she asked out of the blue.

“What the bloody hell gives you that idea?!”

Suddenly she burst into tears and began to blubber incomprehensible and weird theories and accusations about him allegedly hating her so much.

The brunette was just hopelessly confused and threw a glare at Alma. Lucy was _her_ girlfriend! Why didn't she do anything?!

“Don't look at me!”, the redhead snarled at him. “_You_ knocked 'er up! _You_ did this to 'er! So take the blooming responsibility!”

He swallowed and approached the distressed woman carefully. “Alright … uh … I know that I've been an arsehole to you-”

“Damn right you were!”, she wailed.

He swallowed his irritation and continued: “But do you think I'd be here, if I hated you? If I really hated you … well, then we wouldn't be in this situation … because I wouldn't even have looked at you twice, if you get my drift … now that makes sense, doesn't it?”, he asked awkwardly.

She looked at him tearfully. “So you don't hate me?”

“No! You're fantastic! You're gorgeous, clever, bricky, kind … and you're tough enough for me!”

What he meant by the last point was: can stand being around me for longer than five minutes.

She seemed to understand, because she laughed hoarsely.

Alma handed her a handful of tissues and she blew her nose.

Hyde sighed and scratched his head. “What I'm trying to say is … I don't hate you. Even if you do.”

Lucy blinked and tilted her head in confusion. “I don't hate you either.”

She said it like it was perfectly natural.

The brunette stared at her. Let it sink in. Then he asked: “You don't?”

The black-haired woman shook her head.

“Sure? Even though you're carrying my brat?”

A nod.

He felt like he was going to faint.

And to top it all off, Jekyll was gloating in his head: _“I won! You know what to do!”_

_Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!_

“Oi! Ye still with us?”

Alma's voice commanded his attention.

He jumped and looked at her. “Yeah?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Stop callin' yer own choild a brat!”

Hyde glared at his friend. “Well, how else am I supposed to call it?”

“'Ow about yer future daugh'ah?”

The future parents stared at the redhead.

Alma tilted her head. “Wha'? Did oi not tell ya? It's going to be a gal! A beau'iful, 'ealthy wee gal!”

The brunette gaped at his friend.

_A girl … _

“_We're going to have a daughter!”_, Jekyll exclaimed delightedly in his head.

Suddenly Hyde felt something new.

He was feeling fuzzy. Warm. The gentle kind of warm, not like the blazing fire that always raged within him. And oddly light. Like when he spent time with Gabriel, but still a bit different.

_Holy shit, I'm … happy?!_

A giggle brought him back to the moment.

Alma was snickering into her hand, while Lucy was staring in surprise.

“What?”, he asked.

The red-haired girl smirked. “If oi didn't know be'ah, oi'd fink yow's 'appier about it being a gal!”

Lucy's black eyes grew even wider. “Is that true?”

Hyde felt his cheeks grow hot.

“So what?”, he snapped stubbornly, “Girls are easier to deal with, that's all! It's not like I care!”

The two women obviously didn't buy it and giggled knowingly.

He blushed harder and stood up.

“I'm leaving. I've checked on you, you're okay and I've had enough stupid sentiments for the day!”

The brunette took his hat, coat and cane and began to make his leave-

“Oi wouldn't gow outsoide yet, if oi was yow. Weavah's still pre'y bad.”

She pointed to the window. The thunderstorm was still raging outside and the rain was just as bad as it had been earlier.

“Don't care”, he grumbled and left.

As soon as they heard the front door slam shut, the two exchanged a knowing glance.

Lucy grinned. “He's hopelessly lost, isn't he?”

Alma laughed: “'Ead over 'eels in luve! 'E just doesn' wanna admit it.”

The black-haired woman couldn't help but smile.

Of course, she knew that Hyde was the kind of man who'd sooner cut his tongue off, before admitting that he was attached to someone.

But somehow it made her a little happy, that he didn't hate his own unborn child anymore.

For the first time she felt a little tenderness, as her hand ran across her stomach.

“It's really going to be a girl?”

“Mhm!”

“A beautiful and healthy one?”

“Yep! Just loike 'er mum!”, Alma said cheerfully. “And strong loike 'er da!”

Alma grinned at how her lover stroked her stomach with a loving smile.

At the same time her heart felt intensely heavy.

Yes, the child and her mother would be fine, but there would be so much woe and heartbreak until then. As if there hadn't been enough of that already.

And Hyde still hadn't told Lucy about his secret.

_'E needs to tell 'er soon._


	10. Secrets revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy learns of Hyde's and Jekyll's secret and is naturally traumatised.

She and Hyde had fought.

That was nothing new.

See, Hyde was doing this thing, where he didn't want to let Lucy go anywhere unaccompanied and on top of that was controlling her diet.

Just like he had threatened he would.

For someone who valued his freedom so much, he was quite a control freak and it was driving her up the wall. Lucy was meek and gentle, but even her patience had limits.

So she had confronted him about it and it had escalated into a yelling match.

They had screamed nasty things at each other and the fight had ended with him storming off in a rage and hissing that, should she need him, she would find him at Dr. Jekyll's home.

Lucy was left behind to fume for a while, before another emotion set in: guilt.

Sure, she hated how controlling he was of her life lately.

But he had just meant well. That is, as well as a man like him could mean.

When he had left, she had caught a glimpse of something she had never seen before.

There had been hurt in his eyes.

And that made her feel guilty.

After a bit of thinking, she decided that she should apologise.

Hyde had once given her the address to Jekyll's home and mentioned that his property had a backdoor. By now Lucy knew the brunette well enough to know that he wasn't the kind of man to use the front door, if it could be avoided.

It took her a while to find the backdoor, because the backside of Dr. Jekyll's house looked so unimpressive (unlike the front), that it didn't seem to belong to the same house.

But once she had found it, she was faced with the awkward situation of not having a key.

_Come to think of it, why does Hyde have a key to Dr. Jekyll's home?_

But oh well.

Lucy had lived in the East End of London long enough to know how to break into a house.

With a grim expression she pulled out one of her hair pins and cracked the backdoor open. Hyde would be furious, but who cared. He had walked into her room without knocking all the time – on purpose, while she was getting dressed or undressed.

Lucy just hoped that the good Doctor would forgive her, if he ever found out.

She entered as quietly as possible – after all she was still an intruder.

Curiously she looked around.

Everything looked old and out of use in this room alone and it made her wonder, what could possibly be here.

She crossed the room towards another door.

When she wanted to check if the door was locked, she heard a voice come from the other side of it.

Pressing her ear against the keyhole to listen, she recognised Hyde's voice.

He seemed to be talking to someone, but she couldn't hear another voice, which was strange.

“… I don't see how you have the right to scold me about this shit … oh shut up, old man, you would do the same, if it was yours! … Alright, alright, fine! Anyway, it's time for you to take over now … where did you put the powder? … Oh, never mind, I've found it.”

Lucy was very puzzled and considered knocking and asking who the hell he was talking to.

But then she heard something alarming: moaning, as if someone was in pain.

She already wanted to get help, but then she heard Hyde scream and panicked.

Perhaps there was no time to get help!

So she tested, if the door was locked and was surprised to find that it wasn't.

Without a second thought she burst through it and into the room.

Only to freeze in terror.

Hyde was cowering on the floor, writhing and screaming in agony.

His entire body was convulsing violently, as if he was having a seizure, just ten times worse.

He looked up and saw her stand in the doorway.

“Lucy!!! How – ARGH!!! – you're not supposed to – no, NOOO!!! – AHHH!!! – go – ARRGH!!! – Lucy, leave – AHHH!!! GO!!! _GO_!!!”

But Lucy was frozen in place.

What came next was the most surreal, horrifying and scarring thing she had ever seen in her life – and Lucy had seen a lot of horrifying things.

A change began in the young man.

His face became suddenly black and the features seemed to melt and alter.

His limbs grew longer, his entire small and skinny frame became larger, his ghostly white complexion became a bit darker and rosier. The dark rims around Hyde's eyes vanished, wrinkles appeared here and there, his androgynous, husky voice turned to a more masculine, deeper and smoother one, his long black-brown hair receded and turned blond.

After what seemed like an eternity, the convulsions and the transformation (or whatever the hell that was!) finally came to an end.

In pure terror Lucy stared at the man who was now lying in front of her, gasping for breath and feeling around, as if he had just crept out of the grave.

Dr. Jekyll blinked insecurely and looked up.

Upon seeing that she was still standing there, he grew as pale as Hyde.

“Miss Harris …”, he began beseechingly.

But Lucy was way too terrified to last here any longer.

She ran away as fast as her pregnancy allowed and her legs could carry her.

Jekyll saw her flee, heard the backdoor slam shut after her and his heart broke.

He sank back down and wept bitterly.

This was just wrong. That was not how he had wanted her to-

The icy touch of Hyde's spectral form on his back made him look up.

“_I'm sorry, Jekyll”_, the brunette spoke sadly. _“I have no explanation for how this could happen. I thought I had locked the door.”_

“You _did_ lock it”, the blond whispered. “I know you did. Don't blame yourself.”

“_Now she'll definitely hate us, won't she? She'll never want to talk to us again.”_

Jekyll gulped and nodded. “Probably. But worse … she might lose the baby from the shock. God, if she miscarries because of this, I will never forgive myself!”

Hyde didn't answer, but Jekyll knew that his alter ego was feeling the same way.

Alma saw her get off a hansom from the window and ran to open the door.

She was nearly run over by Lucy, who then proceeded to slam the door shut, glomp her and scream into her shoulder hysterically.

First, Alma was completely startled, but then realisation set in and she began to rub gentle circles on her girlfriend's back.

_She knows._


	11. She doesn't want to talk to you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jekyll comes to apologise, but Lucy is still too shaken to face him. Alma is concerned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be a dialogue in French and a horrible transcription of a Cockney accent.

Lucy was in an awful mental state for the rest of the night.

Alma and their flatmate Marianne took turns in trying to soothe her nerves and taking care of her.

It was only in the early morning hours, that the poor woman fell into an uneasy slumber.

“If this keeps on over ze next days, she will lose 'er child”, Marianne stated worriedly.

But Alma shook her head. “She won't lose the gal. An' she'll calm down soon.”

The red-haired girl had full confidence in her precognitive abilities, they had never failed.

Yet, she couldn't help the uneasy feeling that was nagging inside her.

Sure, Lucy would come around, but not if Jekyll and Hyde didn't apologise.

In the afternoon, Marianne heard a knock on the door.

When she looked through the spyhole, she saw a tall, hooded figure standing there.

“Uhm, Alma?”, she asked uncomfortably.

“Lemme guess, there's a tol, 'ooded figure standin' a' 'e door?”

“_Oui_.”¹

“Le' 'im in, it's foine. Oi'm expectin' 'im.”

Marianne was still spooked, but Alma was trustworthy – despite her madness – and so she opened the door.

“_Bonjour, Monsieur_”², she greeted politely, “'Ow can I 'elp you?”

The man pulled his scarf out of his face (why he was wearing one in May was beyond her) and now she could see, that he was a middle-aged man with a very comely visage and friendly, but sad brown eyes.

“_Bonjour, madame”_, he said in French. _“Je suis Dr. Henry Jekyll. Mlle Donovan et Mlle Harris me connaissent. Sont-elles à la maison?”³_

“_Oui, oui, elles sont là”_, Marianne responded, _“Entrez, Docteur.”__⁴_

He nodded gratefully and followed her inside.

“Zey're in ze kitchen”, she told him, “Alma said she's expecting you.”

“Thank you”, he replied quietly.

She then went back to her own business.

When Jekyll entered the kitchen, he found Miss Donovan and Miss Harris sitting at the table.

“'Ello, Doc”, the former greeted him.

Miss Harris, however, jumped from her chair and fled the room as soon as she saw him.

He felt his heart crack.

She thought he was a monster … he knew she did. Because that was exactly what he _was_.

“I came to apologise”, he whispered brokenly. “For everything.”

Miss Donovan probably pitied him, for she stood up and clapped him on the shoulder. “I know that. Bu' Lucy doesn't wanna talk to ya right now. You scared 'er quite a bi' last evenin' an' she's scared, angry an' confused. Bu' once 'er shock is gone, she'll listen to ya. Give i' a few days an' a few talks to me an' me sister an' she'll be fine.”

She handed him a few tissues. “'Ere. Dry yer face.”

When the hell had he started crying?!

“Now, Doctor. She'll come around. Go 'ome now. Try to distract yerself by doin' yer job. Me an' me sister will take it from 'ere. Then come back in a week or so.”

“Thank you, Miss Donovan”, he said sadly. “Perhaps it's really better if I go. Monstrosities like me shouldn't be around angels.”

Before the red-haired madwoman could protest, he was out the door.

Lucy had listened to the entire conversation.

He seemed to really be sorry, but after what she had seen … no, she couldn't face him after this.

She had so many questions, but she was so shaken by what she had seen … what … what _had_ she even seen?!

* * *

_French:_

_1\. Yes._

_2\. Hello, sir._

_3\. Hello, madam. I'm Dr. Henry Jekyll. Miss Harris and Miss Donovan know me. Are they at home?_

_4\. Yes, yes, they're there. Come in, Doctor._


	12. Explanations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy speaks to Lady Summers and Lanyon.

“Alright, Miss Harris. My dear sister told me (and your complexion currently confirms it) that you saw something that really shook your spirit. So, do tell me what ails you.”

Lucy frowned at Lady Summers in confusion. “But if you can read my mind, why should I have to do that?”

The blonde smiled kindly: “Because you need to get it off your chest and for that, you have to talk about it – aloud.”

Lucy sighed and took another sip from her cup.

“Alright. Before it happened, I fought with Hyde – I can't remember about what, though.”

“Really?”, the Lady queried. “Or do you not _want to_ remember?”

The young woman sighed.

No, she didn't want to remember. Fighting with Hyde always was vicious, just like the man himself. Neither did she want to remember what she had said, that had made him look so upset in the end.

But she _did_ remember.

“Well?”

“It was about how controlling he's been lately.”

“Could you be more specific?”

“He's controlling my diet. To the smallest detail. And my clothing to a certain extent, but that's fine. I mean, I understand that I shouldn't wear corsets while I'm pregnant. But he doesn't even let me go to the market alone! Do you know how annoying it is, to not be able to leave the house unaccompanied?!”

Lady Summers chuckled bitterly: “Oh, I do, Miss Harris, be assured. Do they treat you as if you're made of glass? As if you're a fragile, little twig that a gust of wind could break?”

Lucy nodded vehemently. “Yes, exactly! I hate it! Hyde knows how tough I am! I have served him often enough, while I was a girl of the night! Has he ever treated me nicely during that time?! No! I still have some of the bitemarks he left on me!”

The Prussian frowned. “Oh dear. With his sharp canines, that must have been especially painful.”

“It was!”, Lucy cried angrily. “It's like he always saw me as his property! And now that we have to get married and I'm with his child, it's even worse!”

“Hmm … you know, Mr. Hyde consulted me the other day. He's one of my clients.”

That stunned the black-haired woman.

“I cannot tell you, what he told me, as it falls under my professional discretion. However, Miss Harris, I can tell you this much: he doesn't see you as his property. What he sees in you, is a good person he's very fond of and wants to protect. Someone he doesn't want to lose. And yes, he has a terrible way of showing it, but there are reasons for that.”

That made Lucy curious, but Lady Summers just said: “But let's go back to your account. What happened afterwards?”

The younger woman blushed in shame.

“I … I screamed at him, that he's … I called him a …”

“A cruel, heartless monster, who doesn't know what love is”, the blonde finished.

Lucy nodded in shame. “Yes. And some other things. I still can't believe I said that. And I think it really got to him … he made his usual snappish retort and left, because he always needs to have the last word. But he looked hurt, when he left. Really upset. I mean, I've seen him upset once – when I saved him that one time and told him what happened, obviously. But this time was different.”

“Did it look like the 'Your words cut really deep'-kind of hurt?”

Lucy considered. “Yes, I think it did.”

“And what happened then?”

“I stayed there and was angry for a while, until it sunk in, that I might have hurt him with what I said. So I decided to go and apologise. He'd told me that he'd be at Dr. Jekyll's home, so I went there. Well, I … I broke in. Shouldn't have done that.”

Lady Summers agreed: “No, probably not.”

“I looked around a little and heard his voice coming from another room. Then he suddenly screamed. And I kicked the door open, because I thought that he needed help.”

“But instead you witnessed the transformation.”

“Yes.” Lucy dug her fingers into her skirt. “I … I … one minute I had Hyde in front of me, winding in agony. Then this jarring (and really scary) transformation happened – and suddenly, it was Dr. Jekyll! I … I don't understand?!”

“I reckon you don't”, Lady Summers remarked. “When Mr. Utterson and Dr. Lanyon saw it for the first time, they didn't understand it either – not until Dr. Jekyll explained himself, that is. But Dr. Lanyon was completely hysterical and so shocked that he became severely ill in the following weeks. Mr. Utterson on the other hand knows nothing about science, which protected him from wrecking his head over it. He was more angry, that Dr. Jekyll had never told him about it.”

Lucy needed a while to process what she just had heard. “He just told himself that it simply was that way?”, she guessed.

“Yes! I see, you understand it!”, the older woman exclaimed in delight.

The younger one thought for a moment.

Then she decided: “Well, I don't know anything about science either, so I guess I'll do the same.”

“Wise decision, Miss Harris”, the blonde Lady praised. “And if I may give you another piece of advice: you owe him an apology just as much as he owes to you. Furthermore, if you want to know more, I suggest you go to Mr. Utterson and Dr. Lanyon. They have known Dr. Jekyll for almost his whole life.”

“Ah, Miss Harris. Do come in”, Lanyon said, when he saw the black-haired young lady sit in the waiting room.

She followed him with some apprehension, which made him a little concerned.

“Good evening, Dr. Lanyon”, she greeted him in a hushed manner. “I … I wanted to make an appointment for a medical check.”

Lanyon frowned. “Doesn't Dr. Jekyll normally do your medical checks?”

She hesitated. “I don't think I can face him right now. Not after what I have seen.”

That made him stop short. A closer look at her face confirmed the hunch, that had been bubbling up in his stomach.

“You know, then.”

“Yes.”

The hoary doctor put his stethoscope down. “Sit down on the cot, Miss Harris. I have no more patients for the evening, so I'll examine you right now.”

A meticulous examination later, he made her sit down at the table and sat opposite her.

“Well, then. I can reassure you, that you and the baby are both fine. Which is a miracle after the shock you went through, if you ask me.”

Lucy shrugged. “I'm a tough woman.”

Lanyon smiled, he couldn't help it. “And for that, Miss Harris, you have my sincere admiration. I handled the revelation far, far worse than you did. Had Lady Summers not been there to care for me, I wouldn't have survived the shock. You're definitely tougher than I am.”

The black-haired woman tilted her head. “I don't know, this is just beyond my grasp. I'm not educated like you. This scientific stuff would be far over my head and I can't even write.”

Lanyon felt bad for her, but knew better than to press the issue, so he continued: “Why are you really here, Miss Harris? You didn't really come for the routine check, did you?”

She lowered her head. “No. I …”

Miss Harris gulped, took a deep breath and went on: “After … _this_ … I have so many questions. I went to Lady Summers and she directed me to you. She said you and Mr. Utterson know him best. Dr. Jekyll, I mean.”

For a while Lanyon didn't speak.

He had to consider how much he should tell her.

Eventually he decided that, since she had seen the transformation, he didn't need to hide anything from her.

“Well then, Miss Harris. What do you want to know?”

She looked a bit lost.

The answer was probably _everything_, but evidently she didn't know where to begin.

So Lanyon made the first step.

“It's true, that Utterson and I have known Jekyll for almost our entire lives – for forty years, to be exact. Jekyll is the youngest of us, Utterson the eldest, but that's not too important right now-”

“How old is he even?”, she inquired. “I didn't dare to ask the man himself.”

“He's not quite fifty-one”, the hoary doctor told her. “His birthday will be in two weeks.”

She looked stunned. “Fifty? I thought he was around forty!”

Lanyon chuckled: “Yes, he's lucky in that regard. Sadly the same can't be said for me.”

“You look fine, though. Don't take it the wrong way, but I really like your eyes.”

Said eyes widened in surprise.

Once it sunk in, that she was being serious, he felt his heart soften a little.

“Thank you, Miss Harris. I must admit that, apart from my friends and Lady Summers, I don't really hear that from anyone.”

“What do you hear?”

“That they're freaky, or worse.”

She looked quite upset. “That's mean. And not true.”

Lanyon sighed: “My parents used to tell me that I was ugly and things like that all the time. And when you hear things like that all the time, you start to believe it.”

“That's terrible-”

“It's not the worst thing they did to me. But we're not talking about me, are we? This is about Jekyll. He's the one you want to learn more about.”

“Yes, you're right. And about Hyde. I just … I can't understand …”

“How someone as vicious and deranged as Hyde can be the same person as someone as friendly and good as Jekyll?”, Lanyon guessed.

She nodded.

He couldn't help but huff. “Well, first you should know that he's not as he appears to be.”

Miss Harris frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that on the outside, he appears like the most upstanding pillar of high society – charitable, generous, always friendly, helpful and eager to please. Like a paragon of virtue. But that's not what he is. He want to be and to be seen as such, but he's not.”

The black-haired woman looked at him incredulously.

Lanyon saw that he had to be more specific and continued. “He's not a naturally bad person, don't get me wrong. But he is … broken. To put it mildly.”

“I don't understand.”

He frowned: “I reckon you don't, but do you have the patience to listen to his entire life story?”

She shrugged: “I have all time in the world.”

“Alright.” He stood up. “Wait a moment, please. I'll get you some tea and food, because this will take a while. And it will be very disturbing, so you might want to lie down.”

She did.

As Lucy returned home, she was deep in thought about what she had just learned about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

She was appalled.

But first and foremost, she was overwhelmed with compassion.

To think how they both had suffered their entire life.

Sure, it didn't excuse Hyde's past behaviour towards her. But suddenly it felt like she understood what was behind it, why he was this way and why Dr. Jekyll had created him.

Next time she met them, she would definitely reconcile with them.


	13. Reconciliation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy and Jekyll talk it out. Apologies are exchanged.

The next morning Lucy was woken up by Alma, which was strange, because the redhead was anything but an early bird.

“Good morning, beautiful!”, the younger woman said cheerfully. “I made breakfast!”

That was even stranger; Alma couldn't cook to save her life. Marianne always did the cooking.

Just the more it surprised Lucy, that her girlfriend had actually managed to whip up a decent breakfast.

“Oi'm waking you up early”, Alma began to explain, “Because Oi wanted to tell ye tha' 'e Doc is sick. 'E wanted to come 'ere and troi to apologoise again, bu' 'e's fallen ill. So ye 'ave to go yerself.”

Dr. Jekyll was ill?

That worried Lucy.

Dr. Lanyon had told her that strong feelings could affect someone's health. Although he had told her that Jekyll and Hyde were healthy men (or one healthy man, she still wasn't sure), she didn't believe that they were the exception to the rule.

She hurriedly devoured her breakfast (and Alma's, as she was eating for two) and took her coat.

“Wait!”, Alma cried, “Ye don' need cash for a cab! Oi called me 'arf-brovah Sean! 'E's waitin' outsoide!”

Lucy didn't question how the redhead had known that she would react like this.

Somehow Alma always saw things coming. That was why she was such a good betting woman.

The black-haired woman quickly hurried outside and sure enough, Alma's older half-brother, the coachman Sean O'Connor, was waiting outside with a hansom.

“Good morning, Miss!”, he called out cheerfully and she requited the greeting with a smile.

“To Dr. Jekyll's?”, he inquired.

“Yes, please.”

“Alright, get in! I'll drive as carefully as possible”, he promised.

And considering how uneven the streets of London were, the ride was very smooth indeed.

When Poole answered the door, he found a familiar young lady waiting at the door.

“Oh, Miss Harris! I'm afraid Dr. Jekyll can't have a look at you today, he's unwell.”

“I know. I'm here to make a sick visit”, Miss Harris informed him. “Please tell him that it's me and that I have something important to tell him.”

“I will, Miss Harris. But first come in. The weather is horrid today, you must be cold. There is a fire in the parlour, where you can warm yourself up.”

She nodded gratefully and followed him into said parlour.

He told her to make herself comfortable, while he went to inform the Doctor of her presence.

“What is it, Poole?”, the Doctor inquired, when his butler let himself be known with a knock.

“Miss Harris is here and wants to visit you. She's very insistent that she must speak to you”, Poole announced.

To his surprise, Jekyll paled, before flushing so hard that it couldn't be from the fever.

“Where is she”, he wanted to know.

“She's warming herself up in the parlour.”

“Tell her that I'm ready to see her once she feels warm enough.”

“Will do, Sir.”

Then Poole returned to the visitor to bring her the news.

Lucy was a bit hesitant, when she came to the door.

_Good grief, pull yourself together! You know them both, you've talked to them before! But this is different, this is – alright, stop! Just knock on the door already, you fool!_

She pulled herself together and knocked.

“Come in”, Dr. Jekyll's voice answered quietly.

She entered the room and found that it was warm and cosy.

There was a big fire in the fireplace and a few comfortable couches and armchairs.

One one of the couches sat Dr. Jekyll, looking quite sickly indeed.

“Good morning, Doctor”, she greeted him gently.

He smiled tiredly. “Good morning, Miss Harris. I didn't expect you this early – actually, I didn't expect you at all”, he admitted. “I assumed you would never want to face me again, after – no, don't come closer”, he told her, when she wanted to come and shake his hand. “My sickness is contagious and I don't want you to fall ill as well.”

“What is it? The flu?”, she asked in concern.

Dr. Jekyll chuckled sheepishly. “No, actually it's just a common cold. Quite embarrassing, really. I can't remember the last time I had one of these. But as you can see, even doctors get the sniffles.”

Lucy laughed heartily.

“Fun aside, Miss Harris, in your condition, even a cold could have dire consequ-”

“Stop calling it a condition!”, she huffed, “I'm pregnant, not sick!”

The Doctor looked miserable, making her immediately regret being so harsh.

“I'm sorry”, she apologised.

Before he could reply, he had to sneeze into his sleeve.

“Bless you!”, Lucy giggled.

For such a tall man, he had a pretty cute sneeze.

“Thank you”, he twanged and wiped his nose, before turning back to her. “Do sit down, Miss Harris. It would be rude of me to make you stand the entire time.”

Gratefully she sat down.

“So, what gives me the honour of your visit?”

Lucy shifted awkwardly. “Uhhh … several things, actually. First, I wanted to apologise for breaking into your house that night, when … you know what I mean.”

The blond frowned. “What were you doing in my house anyway?”

“I had a fight with Mr. Hyde – with your other half – I don't even know – and I wanted to apologise. He said that he would be here, before he left. I said some terrible things to him – to you – and I wanted to apologise, but when I rang the bell and knocked, I didn't receive an answer and that worried me, because he always answers the door. So I broke in with a hair needle.”

The sick man lifted an eyebrow. “That explains how you got in. It really wouldn't have been necessary, though. It doesn't matter to Hyde as much as it does to me.”

“But it does, doesn't it?”, she insisted. “I know it did, because …”

“Miss Harris, it's fine, you weren't that wrong-”

“Don't say that! It wasn't fair of me to say what I said. You …” she hesitated, “You love your lawyer, don't you? Mr. Utterson?”

The Doctor blushed bright scarlet, which was answer enough.

“I do”, he whispered, looking very ashamed of himself.

“It's okay”, she assured him. “There is nothing wrong with love.”

Dr. Jekyll sighed and sank back onto the couch.

“Thank you”, he said softly. “And it's really good that you're here, it is. Because I owe you an apology as well. Technically, I owe you a thousand apologies. If I may-”

He stood up from the couch, only to fall on his knees and fold his hands.

Lucy felt extremely uncomfortable. “Doctor, please don't-”

“Hear me out!”, he pleaded and she fell silent.

He took a shaky breath, before he began: “Miss Harris, I know that an apology won't make up for all the horrible things Hyde has put you through, but I want you to know that I'm deeply, truly sorry. He will never be able to apologise himself, so I am speaking for us both. I'm sorry for all the times he … forced you to … no. All the times he violated you”, he abandoned his attempt at sugarcoating it. Lucy wasn't sure, if she was pained by or grateful for the acknowledgement.

“There is no justification for that, not even your former profession”, he continued, “And … I'm sorry for all the other ways in which he hurt you … the bites, the punches, the pulling your hair, the slaps, the-”

“Enough”, Lucy interrupted him, “I get the idea. You're sorry for everything he has done.”

“For everything _I_ have done”, he corrected softly. “Hyde is his own entity, with his own will, views and wishes. But in the end he is always a part of _me_.”

He began to shake like a leaf.

_Is … is he going to cry?!_

“Everything I have repressed in my life is manifested in him. My anger, my grief, my wants and base desires, basically all of my vices. All of my worst traits are combined in him. And you had to find out first hand what a terrible person I am. Everything … everything he does is … eventually my fault and mine alone. I was the one who hurt you. I never bothered to control Hyde, because it felt so good when he let go and did whatever he – _I_ – wanted without regrets or shame. That was irresponsible of me and you had to suffer.”

“Doctor”, she tried to intervene, but he wasn't listening.

He was getting hysterical and now the tears were freely running down his face.

“I'm sorry, Miss Harris!”, he whimpered, “I really am! Hyde and I don't expect you to forgive either of us, but … I just want you to know that I deeply regret what he did to you, that I lied to you, that we put you into this situation … I'm so sorry! I'm sorry! I know I don't deserve it, but please forgive me, I'm so sorry-”

Lucy had enough. She stood up, came over to him and took him in her arms, allowing him to bawl into her chest.

“I forgive you”, she declared gently and stroked his tousled blond hair. “Both of you. I mean, you were always nice to me and Mr. Hyde … he wasn't always that bad, actually.”

Dr. Jekyll looked up and stared at her incredulously through his tears.

“… What?”

The black-haired woman sighed: “I was a girl of the night, Doctor. Getting hurt and used was just part of my job. I'd had worse clients than him before. At least he always tipped handsomely. And he was good in bed too. I mean … he always made me come. I can count on one hand how many clients actually gave me a real orgasm”, she attempted to lighten the mood.

Lucy knew from experience that behind most men's prim and proper facade, they had a crude enough humour. And although Hyde was more cynical than crude, he did make obscene jokes from time to time.

And sure enough, Dr. Jekyll laughed hoarsely.

“Can he hear me?”, Lucy inquired.

The Doctor nodded. “He's listening.”

“Good, because I want him to know I'm still cranky about all the still visible hickeys that he's left on my body, when he was still my client! Really, why did you make him with such sharp canines?!”

The blond looked a bit sheepish. “I didn't intend to. Hyde and I honestly don't know why he looks like that.”

“Anyway, I don't believe anymore that he's all evil. I mean, he did give me 200£ to start a new life, after I saved him. And … he introduced me to Alma. I'm really grateful for that. And now that I know that he's you … or your other half … whatever, I know for sure that he's not really evil. Just a completely crazy bastard.”

The Doctor laughed, but then had to cough violently.

Lucy helped him up and back to the couch, then handed him a glass of water.

He took it gratefully and downed it in a few gulps.

“Thank you”, he croaked, “My throat is really-” a cough “-scratchy.”

“I can imagine”, she noted sympathetically. “Shall I leave?”

“If you want. I do enjoy the company though. Just don't come too close to me again, for the sake of your health.”

The black-haired woman was about to point out, that she had held him in her arms earlier, when she felt something.

The baby was stirring inside her.

“Doctor!”, she cried, startling him.

“What's wrong?”, he asked worriedly.

She didn't answer, just came over (ignoring his instruction yet again), cradled his head in her arms and pressed it against her baby bump.

The blond gasped, when he felt the baby kicking inside her womb. His hands trembled a little, when he placed them on her stomach.

“Hello there, little lady”, he cooed sweetly, “I'm your father. Sort of. I'm really old, so I will have to pose as your grandfather, probably. You may not have been planned, but I can't wait to see you. Neither can the part of me that is actually your father – even though he would rather cut his tongue off, before admitting it”, he added with a giggle. “I'm sure, you will be beautiful, strong and clever. Likely a little mad.”

Lucy giggled. Her heart melted at how he lovingly caressed her clothed stomach and pressed half of his face against it. Sure, he was relatively old and a mad scientist, but he would love their daughter and that made her intensely happy. Now she was reminded of how Hyde had reacted, when Alma had informed them, that the baby was a girl. About the pure happiness in his eyes, until he had realised how sentimental he was being.

“I think she loves us”, Lucy noted, when the baby inside her became even more active – perhaps she could hear her daddy's voice and was reacting to it.

Then she realised something. “Shouldn't we think of a name for her?”

Dr. Jekyll blinked. “Huh? Oh yes, probably. But … Edward and I were thinking … that maybe we could wait until the baby is born and we can see her, that we could think of a name that fits her.”

Lucy considered: “That makes sense. Anything that's out of question though?”

He pulled back from her stomach and nodded sternly. “Yes. She will _not_ be given a flower name. The most taboo name however is Clara. _Anything_ but Clara. I loathe that name with a passion.”

The young woman chose not to question it for now.

“Alright. That's fine. There are so many beautiful names out there.”

He nodded in satisfaction. “Good.”

Then he sneezed and had to blow his nose.

The black-haired woman stood up.

“I think it's time for me to go. You need to rest. Get well soon, Doctor-”

“Henry.”

She stopped short. “Sorry?”

He was smiling gently. “My name. It's Henry.”

She smiled back fondly: “Then call me Lucy. Your … other self calls me that too, after all.”

His smile widened. “Well then, Lucy.”

She was surprised at how sweetly her name sounded, when he said it. Almost as sweetly as when Alma did, albeit not quite.

“Still though, I have a lot of questions. I honestly don't think I understand any of this (or how you two being the same person works), but we can talk about it some time. Right?”

Dr. Jekyll – no, Henry – chuckled: “Of course, Miss Harris. We can talk about it anytime you want.”

“Good.”

She turned to go. “Have a nice day and recovery. I'll come to visit.”

“Wait!”

Lucy turned back to him. “Yes?”

He was looking at her earnestly. “Since we talked about names; you have the choice, whether you want to be Mrs. Jekyll or Mrs. Hyde. We don't have much time left, so you have to decide quickly. Choose wisely.”

She blinked.

Then it sunk in and she nodded and left.


	14. Mrs. Jekyll? Mrs. Hyde?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy can only be officially married to either Jekyll or Hyde. Now she has the agony of choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: worst rendition of a Cockney accent ever - again.

“What's 'e ma'er, Doe Eyes?”, Alma asked in concern. “Ye 'aven't touched yer lunch.”

Lucy sighed sadly: “I'm just thinking, about what will be in the future.”

“Lucy, everyfin' will be foi-”

“I have to choose whether I will become Mrs. Jekyll or Mrs. Hyde.”

“Oh, roight. Well, Edward's the one 'o knocked ye up”, the red-haired girl pointed out.

“I know, but …”

“The Doc's noicer to ye”, Alma guessed. “An' 'e's rich an' influential. Ye'll 'ave a noice 'ouse, lotsa cash, foine dresses, servants, 'e benefi' of bein' married to a doctor … foinally a stable an' secure loife an' a 'usband 'o'll care for ya an' protect ya.”

“But he's more than twice my age. People will question why he suddenly gets married to a young woman and wonder where I come from. And if I live in West End with him, I can't be with you anymore. As Mrs. Jekyll I can't come to visit you in Whitechapel. We could only meet from time to time. I don't want that.”

Alma smiled fondly: “We'll figure sum'ing out, angel. Me sistah is a 'ristocrat!”

Lucy smiled back and clasped the younger woman's hand, before continuing: “Marrying Hyde has the benefit that I could stay close to you and Marianne. I know him better. And he's just a little younger than I. That and he's Dr. Jekyll's heir. He's wealthy too.”

“Tha' and no one dares come close, when 'e's wiv ya”, Alma laughed. “Downsoide is tha' 'e's a downroight bastard an' ya still don't loike 'im.”

“Exactly”, Lucy sighed, “I just don't know what to do, Alma. And I have less than a week to make up my mind.”

The red-haired madwoman squeezed Lucy's hand reassuringly. “It's all up to you, angel. Oi recommend marrying Hyde, though. Loike Oi said, 'e's the one 'o knocked ya up. An' ya would 'ave more liberties.”

Lucy thought about it.

One week later, she woke up and had made up her mind.


	15. Baby names

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now what will the girl's name be?

“Mr. Hyde, I have chosen to take your name.”

The brunette paused and looked up from the book he was reading to her. “Really?”, he queried. “You sure, Lucy? After all I have done to you, _I_ am the one you choose to marry?”

“Yes”, she confirmed and explained her reasoning to him.

Hyde tilted his head in surprise. “That's reasonable enough. It'll take me a while to stomach that I'm going to have a Missus though.”

“And it'll take _me_ a while to stomach that _I'll_ be your Missus”, Lucy retorted.

He laughed: “Shots fired! Well then! Next time we're at the Lady's, I'll propose to you in front of witnesses.”

“Good. Now come here. The baby is kicking.”

She couldn't help but smile at how he immediately threw the book away and dashed over to her to place his hands and bony cheek on her belly.

“Whoa!”, he breathed in awe. “Hey there, kid!”

Her heart melted at how his spidery fingers (probably unconsciously) caressed her baby bump and tapped it lightly. The baby apparently responded to the tapping and her father's voice, as the kicking intensified.

“As soon as you'll be born you'll keep me and your mother awake day and night with your screaming. So you better be a healthy screamer, do you hear me? Because I will not spoil you!”

Just as Lucy wanted to snap at him, the baby kicked even more – so much, that it made her sick.

“Yep. She's healthy, alright”, she groaned.

He looked up and seeing how nauseous she was, he turned back to the unborn baby: “And stop kicking so much. You're making your mummy sick.”

As if the baby had understood him, it stopped kicking so much.

_Why do I have the feeling that she's going to be a daddy's girl?_

“Hey, Lucy?”

“Hm?”

“Alma said it's going to be a girl, right?”

“That she did.”

“How about Nancy?”

Lucy almost laughed; he had definitely got the name from the book he was reading to her!¹

However, she had already chosen one of her own.

“Actually, I have been thinking-”

“Please don't tell me it's Harriet”, he groaned.

Now Lucy couldn't hold back her laughter: “I'm not _that_ predictable! No, I was thinking … how about Alexandra?”

“… Isn't Alma's middle name Alexandra?”

“Yes. You know, since she and Lady Summers are going to be the god-mothers.”

Hyde furrowed his eyebrows, but not in the way he usually did, when he was irritated. He seemed to be considering.

Then he seemed to have an idea: “How about this: we name her Alexandra, but call her Nancy for short?”

Lucy nodded: “That's fine.”


End file.
